Overdue garbage bill gets suburban ex-mayor kicked off ballot

The name of a former Island Lake mayor seeking to regain the position will be removed from the ballot after a Lake County judge dismissed on Tuesday his appeal of an election board ruling.

Judge Margaret Mullen said that because Charles Amrich, 65, did not properly file his appeal papers, the court did not have jurisdiction to hear the case.

An Island Lake election board removed Amrich from the ballot due to an overdue village garbage bill for $174. Tuesday’s ruling means incumbent Mayor Debbie Herrmann will be the only mayoral candidate on the ballot in the April 9 election.

On his way out of court Tuesday, Amrich, who served as Island Lake’s mayor from 1985 to 2005, expressed his unhappiness.

“It’s a shame how far somebody will go to get somebody kicked off the ballot,” Amrich said. “It’s a dirty, rotten shame that someone took away the people of Island Lake’s right to vote.”

Attorneys for those who objected to Amrich’s candidacy said the former mayor and his attorneys did not file appeal paperwork within five days of the electoral board’s decision, as mandated by state law.

Amrich’s attorney, David McArdle, said it is unusual for judges to require service via certified or registered mail. McArdle said he served the electoral board and named each member, which he believed would be enough for the court to hear the appeal.

The judge, though, disagreed, saying the statute and case law are clear that following the rule is necessary for the appeal to proceed.

Amrich was initially ruled ineligible by a three-person panel earlier this month. The electoral board, composed of village board members, voted 2-1 to remove Amrich from the ballot after deciding Amrich had the outstanding bill at the time he filed his candidacy papers, a violation of state law.

Amrich previously said he paid the late bill two hours before he officially filed on Dec. 26. He said the electoral board that originally declared him ineligible mistakenly used the date he signed his candidacy statement, Dec. 18.